The disclosed embodiments relate to an irrigation mat for supplying fluids to the root region of plants and to an irrigation system that is equipped with such an irrigation mat.
The term “irrigation” is understood to be the supplying of fluids, in particular water and/or nutrient solutions, to plants. To irrigate plants, water can be applied to the soil and the plants from above. In order to minimize water loss, the water can be applied in the vicinity of the individual plants by spray devices or drip devices. But in this connection, water is lost particularly through evaporation.
This disadvantage can be avoided if irrigation systems are used that are placed underground in the soil beneath the plants. Such irrigation systems include irrigation mats that are equipped with irrigation tubes, which are connected to the water supply system by means of valves and control units.
DE 695 14 365 T2 has disclosed a capillary irrigation system of this kind, which has an irrigation mat that is equipped with a plurality of perforated irrigation tubes. The irrigation mat is composed of an upper layer of a capillary material and a lower layer of a capillary material, between which the irrigation tubes are situated. The terms “above” and “below” relate to the orientation of the irrigation mat when placed in the soil.
To accommodate the tubes, pockets are provided between the two layers of capillary material, formed by folding the upper layer. The preformed pockets are dimensioned so that the irrigation tubes can be slid into the pockets. The two layers are attached to each other, for example by means of gluing sewing, ultrasound, or welding. The attachments here are seam-like connections, which have the disadvantage that for example sewing threads can break and the attachment points can come loose. The placement of such mats is then significantly more complex due to the slippage of the individual layers. Since such mats have edge lengths of 50 m or more, not only does this impede the handling and laying of the mats, but the tubes can also slip laterally and assume positions other than those provided. A uniform distribution of water in the irrigation mat is no longer possible in this case.
A further problem is the penetration of roots into the exit openings of the perforated tubes. The root system penetrates through the layer of the mats from the outside in the vicinity of the pockets and in particular, extends to the water exit openings, which can then become clogged and in the worst case scenario, can completely block the exit of water. This impairs uniform water distribution in the irrigation mats.